1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a polarizing element, a method of manufacturing a polarizing element, and an electronic apparatus.
2. Related Art
Liquid crystal projectors as electronic apparatuses include liquid crystal devices as optical modulation devices. The liquid crystal device having a configuration in which a liquid crystal layer is pinched between one pair of substrates disposed to oppose each other is known. On one pair of the substrates described above, electrodes used for applying voltages to the liquid crystal layer are formed. In addition, on the outer sides of the substrates, an incident-side polarizing element and an outgoing-side polarizing element are disposed. Thus, predetermined polarized light is configured to be incident to and outgoing from the liquid crystal layer. Meanwhile, in order to acquire a black projection image in the above-described liquid crystal projector, almost all the light energy needs to be absorbed by the outgoing-side polarizing element. Thus, particularly, an increase in the temperature of the outgoing-side polarizing element is marked. Accordingly, for example, a technique in which two polarizing elements are disposed on the outgoing side, most of the light energy is absorbed by an outgoing pre-polarizing element disposed right after the liquid crystal device, and the contrast of a projection image is improved by an outgoing main polarizing element disposed on the latter stage is known. In order to acquire a higher heat-resistance property, the polarizing element is formed from an inorganic material. The polarizing element includes a substrate, reflection layers formed on the substrate, dielectric layers formed on the reflection layers, and inorganic micro-particle layers formed on the dielectric layers (for example, see JP-A-2008-216957).
However, when the polarizing element is used as an outgoing pre-polarizing element, depending on the form of disposition of the inorganic micro-particle layer, optical activity is given to the outgoing light. As a result, there are problems in that the intensity of leakage light leaking from the outgoing main polarizing element increases, and the contrast of the liquid crystal projector is decreased.